


We Become Who We Are

by KielWhitehead24



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-03-05 21:07:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13396242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KielWhitehead24/pseuds/KielWhitehead24
Summary: Liz Keen is slowly falling for her master criminal C.I. I have made several alterations to the timeline, and rearranged several conversations to suit my plans.Note: This is a Lizzington fiction.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever fan fiction work. Please be nice with the comments, appreciate feedback. I have made several alterations to the timeline, and rearranged several conversations.  
> I don't own anything from The Blacklist. This is Jon Bokenkamp's sandbox, I'm just playing in it. All rights go to him, NBC, and Sony.

Liz sighed as she opened the door to her motel room. It had been 2 months since Berlin had escaped. She had been moving from motel to motel. The only comfort she had was that Tom was gone. He had bled out trying to flee the scene. The police had found his body a block away. They had asked if she wanted his remains, but she wanted nothing to do with her ex-husband. She had legally separated from him despite his death just so she could feel free of him. She decided to keep the last name of Keen, since he never really existed, and she had gotten used to hearing “Agent Keen”, and didn’t want to adjust back to “Agent Scott”. Reddington had picked her up from the courthouse, and had stopped by a small park, telling her they needed to talk. He had guided her to one of the quiet secluded gazebos, and sat her on the steps. She had noticed how nervous he seemed, and she was intrigued. She had never seen the Concierge of Crime at a loss for words. He let out a slow breath then launched into what he wanted to get off his chest.  
“I’m afraid I wasn’t completely up front with you Lizzie. I told you that Tom had been inserted into your life, and that was true. But I didn’t tell you the entire story.”  
Liz had started to feel her stomach bubbling; she had a feeling where this was headed.  
“I hired Tom merely to watch over you while I couldn’t. He was explicitly instructed to be a friend only. He was never supposed to become romantically involved with you. I was in the Andes when I found out that the two of you were engaged. I finally was able to return the day of you wedding. I had flown 2300 miles, blinded by rage, descending from the mountains determined that Tom had to die. But when I arrived at your wedding, I saw your face. You were happy, your smile was radiant. And I was powerless to interfere. I knew that if I killed him, you would be placed in even greater danger. You would discover who he worked for, and they would have killed you to remain hidden. When I hired him, he knew who I was, so he sought out my enemies, and gained their protection from me. That is why I surrendered to the FBI. It had become too difficult to protect you from a distance. I had to see to it personally. I hired Ranko Zamani to attack Tom, hoping it would be enough to reveal the truth. I’m sorry for the pain it caused you, but I had to be cautious, or I was afraid that Berlin would burn Tom and kill you to tie up loose ends.” Red finished in a hurry, trying to gauge her reaction.  
Liz had felt the tears slowly falling down her cheek. Her whole life for the last four years had been a lie. She had just looked at him as the tears fell onto the ground, and walked away. She knew she should have said something to Red, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak. She had walked for almost an hour until she reached her motel. She just wanted to sleep, but knew it wouldn’t be likely to come. She jumped as a shadow fell across the door. Red’s voice broke her from her startled reaction. He looked down the barrel of her weapon and smirked.  
“I’d understand the inclination Lizzie, but I’d hope you’d be willing to discuss it first.”  
Liz let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “Geez, Red, are you trying to take a bullet?” her eyes narrowed, “Were you following me the whole time?”  
“No Lizzie, but I do have someone watching you. In fact, I have someone watching every single member of the Task Force.”  
Liz glared at him. “How long?”  
“Since the day Agent Malik died. Meet Ezra.” He gestured to the slight man standing at a window across the row of rooms.  
Liz looked at the man, and then turned back to Red. “Why are you telling me this? Why not keep it a secret, just like Tom?” she threw at him.  
“Might we take this inside instead of outside where who knows could overhear?”  
She grumbled under her breath, but allowed Red inside her tiny room, leaving Dembe to stand guard outside the door. She sat on the bed, leaving Red to sit in the lone chair.  
Red set his fedora and coat on the table, and then faced her.  
“As I said once before, I told you not to trust him, and you ignored me. I had to let you discover the truth on your own. But with Ezra, I figured it would be better if you knew. I know why you’re staying in motels, constantly moving. You’re afraid; scared. While the threat Berlin poses is very real, you’re running from a ghost Lizzie. Tom is dead. He can’t harm you physically anymore. That doesn’t mean you won’t think about the hurt he’s caused you, but you don’t need to keep running. That’s part of the reason I’m here actually. I know you won’t return to your brownstone, but I thought you might like a more permanent residence for the time being. I took the liberty of purchasing a small flat in Bethesda for you. It’s a peace offering Lizzie, one I hope you accept. If you want, I can take you there now, or wait and think about it, and let me know when you’re ready, and I can show you the security arrangements we made for you.”  
Liz just stared at him in awe. She started to feel guilty for all her accusations she had hurled at him over the last several months. “Why are you doing all this Red? You’ve told me my father is dead. Is it because of him?”  
Red stares at the wall beside her for a while before slowly answering.  
“In a way, yes. Just know Lizzie, I will never lie to you. I may not tell you the full truth, but I will never flat out lie. Your Father is dead.”  
Liz sighed. “All I wanted was to meet my real family, but Sam told me they were dead.”  
Red had started to leave, but stopped and turned to her. “Actually Lizzie, that’s not entirely true. Your grandfather is alive. He’s been in hiding for almost 30 years.”  
“I’ve had a family member that I didn’t know about my entire life, and you’re just now telling me? Get out Red; get out of my room, now!” She fumed as he gathered his things and started to open the door. He turned to look back at her. “After we deal with Berlin, I can take you to him. Goodnight Lizzie.”  
With that, he closed the door behind him and she was left with her own thoughts. She felt like crap. What little she did know about her mother explained why she was never supposed to know about any of her family members that were still alive. What she couldn’t understand was Red’s relationship to her mother and Father. Why had he chosen her? She thought back to her interrupted conversation with Naomi Hyland. She had said something about Raymond not being who she thought he was. She decided to sleep, and apologize to Red at the Post Office the next day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own anything from The Blacklist. This is Jon Bokenkamp's sandbox, I'm just playing in it. All rights go to him, NBC, and Sony.

Red shook his head, hoping to dispel the lingering thoughts of his nightmare. Berlin had managed to get his hands on Elizabeth, and was gloating that Red could do nothing to save her. He needed to clear his head, but first, he needed the assurance that it was merely a dream. He quickly dialed Ezra.  
“Ezra, is everything clear?”  
Ezra, used to Red’s quirks, didn’t delay: “All clear, boss. She hasn’t left her room all night.”  
“Thank you, Ezra. I’ll have Aaron relieve you at 6 for the day.” Red hung up and breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that, despite the assurance of her safety, he wouldn’t be getting anymore sleep tonight. He glanced at the clock. 4:30 AM. Ah well, at least he could get a head start on his meetings today. Vlad would be arriving at 10 with what he claimed was a viable threat. He decided to purge any remaining vestiges of sleep with a hot shower.  
At 9, Dembe and Baz arrived to take him to the warehouse to meet Vlad. He trusted Vlad, but the man had a dangerous habit of being reckless with his own security. Red was almost to the meeting when Leonard called him, telling him that Vlad may have been under surveillance leaving Russia, according to his source in the FSB. He turned to Baz, who nodded. Dembe slowed the car, allowing three SUV’s and two vans to pull ahead. “We’ll wait here for the clear signal. The advance teams should give us fair warning if any hostiles approach.” After several tense minutes, Dembe’s phone alerted them it was clear to continue to the warehouse. After they pulled in, Vlad and his driver exited their town car.  
Red embraced Vlad, genuinely happy to see the man. Vlad returned it, but Red could feel how tense he was. Vlad quickly sobered, and directed Red to look at the laptop his driver had set on the hood of the car. Red chilled when he saw the page. His worst fear had finally been realized. Someone had discovered the hidden secret of Lizzie’s past. Someone was actively looking for Masha Rostova, the secret child of Katarina Rostova. Even worse, it was someone inside the Russian government. He started to call Aaron to tell him to expect extra help, when Vlad stopped him. “They’ve issued orders for Andrei Sokolov’s crew to begin the search. They know she works for a Federal Agency.”  
Red fumed “How on Earth would they-”  
Vlad interrupted him, “You know how they learned that. The Director told them.”  
Red turned to Dembe, “Contact the Florist. Then call Aaron and tell him and Ezra to get her to the box site ASAP. I’ll give Harold a heads up.” Dembe nodded and immediately relayed the messages. Red turned back to the Russian, “Vlad, I can’t thank you enough for your quickness in alerting me. Reach out to Mr. Kaplan; she’ll set you up with a safe house for the time being. I’d prefer the Director not make his displeasure known.”  
As they turned to head back to their car, Dembe stopped him. “Raymond, I can’t reach Aaron or Ezra. There is no answer at the desk either.”  
“We’ve got to get over there. Baz, put the call out to every single team in the city. Tell them to load up and get over to the District hotel, Caulfield Drive NW. I’ll have Harold dispatch a team to meet us. We should get there about the same time.”  
He pulled out his phone as Dembe peeled out of the warehouse, the convoy of Baz’s men forming up behind them. “Harold, we’ve got a problem. They’re going after Elizabeth. They may already be there, but I can’t raise anyone at her hotel, not even the front desk. I have all my men heading there right now, but we may need official government interference. This particular enemy has men in the government, so I need you to be extremely cautious with whom you send.”  
He could hear Cooper’s determination in his answer. “Ressler, Navabi and I will be there with them personally. Send me the address. We’ll be rolled out in five.” Red hung up and waited impatiently, repeatedly trying to call Lizzie’s phone, but it went straight to voicemail.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Harold wasted no time after hanging up. He started shouting as soon as he cleared the doorway of his office.  
“Listen up people; we’ve got an agent in distress. Unknown hostiles are attempting to kidnap Agent Keen. Navabi, contact the SWAT Commander at Quantico. I want Haskell’s team, and Haskell’s team only. Tell the commander to have him contact me directly. Our location is strictly need to know. Aram, once I have the location, alert the nearest hospital and have them pull all their best surgeons and techs in to prep for possible trauma victims, then take the three backup security details from here and get ready to secure that hospital. We’ll alert Metro to be ready to block traffic to clear a route to the hospital. Let’s move out people, we’re on the clock.”  
The team hurried to the vehicles, the external security team having already blocked traffic to give them unhindered exit routes. Reddington had texted them immediately, and the convoy ripped through the city. Even over the sirens, they could hear the rips of gunfire from blocks away. He heard Samar radioing for helicopters to vector in on over watch in case they had any runners. They pulled up and rushed into the hotel courtyard.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Red’s heart sunk as they pulled up to the hotel. There were too many cars parked in front. Suddenly, gunfire pelted the car next to him. Baz’s men returned fire, quickly killing the shooter. He could hear the sirens from the Task Force convoy, but they were still several blocks away. The team started to slowly advance into the hotel proper, when Dembe shouted a warning.  
Red felt the blast as a grenade went off 30 feet from Red. His men returned fire as shooters poured out of one of the stairwells, trying to open an avenue of escape. Red felt the earth freeze as he saw what was actually happening. Behind the wall of attackers, three men were carrying someone towards the back of the hotel. Lizzie. He started to signal Dembe when a sudden burst of gunfire shattered the window of the vehicle Red was currently using for cover, and he saw Dembe, lying on the ground, unconscious, for Red refused to believe that Dembe was dead. He breathed a sigh of relief as Dembe stirred. He turned back to the scene to see the shooters backing down the hall, shielding their comrades carrying Liz. Baz shouted over their comms for his teams to advance, but be selective, as their hostage was in the midst of them. Suddenly there was a screech as multiple SUV’s pulled up in front of the hotel, and in barged the Task Force members. Samar saw the retreating men, and swiftly turned a team around to try to cut them off at the rear exit. Red signaled for Baz’s backup units to withdraw and follow. The SWAT units replaced them, and their concerted fire methodically picked off the shooters one by one. Baz and his crew rushed past them, quickly giving chase while the FBI cleared the rooms. Red stopped long enough to see Harold steadying Dembe, before following suit. As he burst through the doors of the loading dock, he was greeted by the worst sight: the FBI teams rounding the corner and being greeted by Baz’s team. They had lost the attackers, and Lizzie with them.


	3. Chapter 3

Red slowly picked his way through the wreckage that used to be the motel’s lobby. There were corpses everywhere, some were his men, some were FBI, but the vast majority of them were the attackers. The FBI Task Force was methodically picking through the wreckage, looking for any signs that might help identify who they were. Red felt lost between fury and grief. He knew time was precious, he had no clue what their plans were for Lizzie now that she was in their possession. He signaled Baz and his entourage slipped from the lobby, heading towards Liz and Ezra’s rooms. He had discovered why he had been unable reach his men. Ezra had been shot in the chest, but was wounded. Aaron hadn’t been as lucky; taking two to the heart. Ezra was currently in the care of Red’s mobile crash team. He grimaced when they arrived at Elizabeth’s room. The door had been blown clear off its hinges. It appeared as though Liz had been in the bathroom when she was attacked, as the water was still running in the shower. There was some blood flaked on the mirror, not enough to be from a gunshot wound, but he guessed she had resisted. Samar and Ressler were the only ones allowed in the rooms, and Samar stopped her work to walk him through the scene. Near where Ezra had been shot, there was blood spatter too high for it to have come from his wounds. They were rushing a sample to the lab, and all other work had been frozen to assist with the search for one of their own. All available teams were working to find Agent Keen. She was wrapping up when Baz handed him a phone. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the deep voice on the other end of the line.  
“Dembe, thank goodness you’re alright.”  
“I’m fine Raymond. I just got knocked flat by the blast. Ezra is awake. He said he hit the leader. It was Braxton. Ezra head him say something about the factory. You know what that means. We have to find her.”  
“Thank you Dembe. Now rest, and let me carry the load for now my friend.” Red hung up and walked out to the lobby. Harold met him at the entrance.  
“Reddington, we think we know who was behind this. Two of the dead perps are ex Spetznaz operatives. One of them had been flagged as a member of a crew headed by Andrei Sokolov, but Russia claims he’s gone rogue. Why would a Russian crew be after Agent Keen?”  
Red shook his head “Agent Keen isn’t just a random FBI agent. Her mother was the KGB operative known as Katarina Rostova. When she disappeared, she had the keys to a blackmail file that could expose a secret Cabal that has shaped the face of the world for almost 40 years. They have been acting to reignite the Cold War, and they intend to use her as either the spark or the scapegoat. I’ve been attempting to meet with one of their members, but Berlin is after him, so he’s not showing his face. This group often subverts government hit teams to join their cause, and this is most likely the case. The man that issued them on a “top secret misson” was none other than Viktor Ivanov, the head of the FSB. He is a ranking leader of the Cabal. They believe that Katarina hid the file with her daughter, and now, they intend to find it.”  
“Keen never mentioned anything about this, and there was no record of anything hidden in her file.”  
“That’s because she didn’t remember. When she was a child, shortly after a traumatic event, her memory of the event was altered, to protect her.” Red noticed one of Baz’s men leaving with a box of Liz’s things. His eyes narrowed as he spotted something sticking out of the top. “If you’ll excuse me Harold, I need to get busy finding Lizzie.” He walked out right behind the man, signaling him to bring the box to Red’s car. Baz and Dembe loaded up the car, and they zoomed off.  
He glanced into the box of Liz’s things, trying not to feel like he was invading her privacy, but he couldn’t stop, the contents were too startling. The item that drew his attention the most was a stuffed animal. A bunny rabbit, half burnt. He realized it was Lizzie’s when she was a girl. He picked it up, making a silent promise that he would come for her. As he went to put it down he felt something stuck in its neck; no bigger than a quarter. With trembling fingers, he attempted to open up the stitching on its neck. He finally managed to open it up, and felt his breath leave him. Sitting in the neck, nestled against the stuffing, sat the Fulcrum. He immediately felt a stir of anger. What parent would put such an enormous target on their young child by hiding such damning information with them?  
“Dembe, did you reach the Florist?”  
“Yes. She signaled that Fitch would be there with his own personal guard.”  
“Good. Baz,” Red turned to the silent guard, “Tell your men that they are to hold their fire until fired upon. This should be a peaceful meeting. Fitch has been rapidly losing influence in the Cabal, and is risking a lot by meeting me. I don’t want him to feel threatened.”  
In thirty minutes, the convoy arrived at the meeting place, a privately owned hanger at an airport whose owner owed Red some favors. Fitch was sitting in the chairs gathered around the small folding table set up in the middle of the hanger. Red joined him, their guards keeping a wary eye on the others, as well as the surrounding tarmac.”  
Fitch skipped the usual pleasantries. “You want to tell me what the hell is going on, Ray? I get your message, and then I hear that half the FBI was responding to armed men attacking an agent, aided by what is being described as a private para-military group.”  
Red looked at him. “Your colleagues finally decided to call what they thought was my bluff. They took Agent Keen, or as they know her to be Masha Rostova, to try to discover the location of the Fulcrum.”  
“You mean that all this time, Masha Rostova was right here? Did she have the Fulcrum, Ray?”  
“She did. But now I do.” I got to it before they did. I want you to call the Director. Tell him that in exchange for her, I’ll give you a copy of the Fulcrum, so that they can prepare their defenses when the world comes crashing down on them.”  
Fitch contemplated his words for a few moments, before leveling his gaze at Red. “I’ll make a deal with you Ray. I may be losing influence, and getting pushed out; but I still have to approve action in DC, and sign off on location clearance. I know where they took her, and I’ll give it to you; but in exchange, you help me and Margaret disappear, and the conditions of our deal will still apply.”  
“Done.” Red didn’t hesitate. He was going to rescue his Lizzie, and maybe, he would finally be one step closer to bringing down his enemies.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took some of the dialogue from "Luthor Braxton Conclusion" and used it in this chapter, all rights go to NBC, Sony, and Jon Bokenkamp.

Liz woke up feeling like a herd of elephants had trampled over her head. She felt something over her eyes; she had a bag thrown over her head. She tried to sit up from her perch, but found she couldn’t move. She realized that she was restrained to what felt like a piece of particle board. The events of the day prior flashed through her head. She had been getting ready to jump in the shower before trying to meet Red to apologize, when her door was blown up. She had reached the door to the bathroom, attempting to get to her gun, when she was met by the butt of a gun to her temple. She stumbled back, hitting her head on the mirror, feeling blood beginning to trickle down her head. As she swung her fist at one of the men, he raised his gun, and knocked her fist down. She staggered down as she felt the crunch of the bone in her wrist breaking. She attempted to get up to fight back, but one of the attackers had her arms pinned as another approached with a needle and plunged it into her neck. She remembered being bundled out of the room, before everything faded to black, with the sounds of gunfire ushering in the darkness.

She was brought out of her haze by the sounds of people coming into the room. She tried to listen for a count of feet, but between the echoes and the pain in her broken wrist. She figured that she was being held in what used to be a swimming pool area. She flinched as something was dropped next to her head. She felt rough hands removing the bag before she was blinded by the light pouring down on her. Once her eyes adjusted, her gaze was met by the largest man she had ever seen. He was easily twice her size, and his smirk did nothing to put her at ease.

“Hello there princess.”

Liz immediately gave a last, desperate heave, attempting to break free of her bonds, but to no avail. The man roughly held her still.

“Now, let’s go over how this is gonna work. My clients think you know where to find something of theirs. All they want is the Fulcrum. You give me that, and it’ll be all over. Give us the location of the Fulcrum, and we’ll let you go. Otherwise, I’ll have to resort to some nastier methods.”

Liz blanched. “What the hell is the Fulcrum? I’ve never even heard of that before. How can I tell you something I don’t know?”

The man looked down at her and leered. “You obviously don’t know who I am. Reddington tried to save you, so he knows you are the key to finding it, which means he’s actively looking for you. So I don’t have time to play nice. Just remember, I gave you a chance,” He nodded and another man came out of the shadows, holding a bucket and a rag. He produced another needle and administered the drugs to her. The men set the board she was on upright. She started to panic when she realized what was about to happen. The rag thrown over her face confirmed it. She was going to be waterboarded. She sucked in what little air she could before the water was poured over the rag. She quickly started gagging and coughing.  They emptied the bucket, before removing the rag. The big man was right there in her face.

“Feel like talking now, princess?”

She sputtered and tried to resume her normal breathing. “I swear, I don’t know anything! I pro-” she was cut off as the rag was thrown over her face for a second time and more water was cascaded onto the rag. As her torture continued she slowly felt herself losing consciousness, and welcomed the reprieve, not knowing how long she could hold out hope for Red to find her.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz woke up to blinding pain in her wrist, as her broken wrist began to throb again. She quickly discovered the cause of the pain. She was hanging from the chains around her wrists just high enough that her feet couldn’t keep a steady purchase on the ground. The pain from her wrist only made it worse. Her torturer grinned as he slapped her face.

          “Imagine my pleasure when Braxton told me I would get to interrogate an FBI agent, after all your government did to me. I’ve got plenty of fun lined up for you little agent, so please, don’t break too fast.”

Braxton leered at her from his seat a few feet away. “I rescued Youssef from an Army convoy headed to Baghdad. He had been found trying to kidnap the son of a high ranking government official, and the CIA wanted to question him about his Taliban connections. Now he works with my crew, and loves getting to repay America for what his brothers went through at the hands of the CIA. So I’d start talking if I were you.”

Liz stared at Braxton, imploring him to stop her torture, but he just nodded to Yousseff. Youseef grinned and grabbed the front of Liz’s shirt, ripping it off of her. She screamed and began attempting to thrash against the vile man, but it was useless between her weakened state and his complete control. He followed suit with her pants, leaving her chained in her undergarments. He went across what she was now able to confirm as an old swimming pool, and came back with an instrument that sent a chill down her spine. HE quickly lashed out, striking her exposed stomach with the whip. HE began a methodical attack, constantly changing where the whip bit into her skin, causing numerous welts. He would only stop long enough to ask the location of the Fulcrum. When she continued to deny knowledge of it, he would resume. As she neared the darkness of unconsciousness once more, she heard Braxton tell her tormentor to stop. Her final thoughts were that of Red coming to save her.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When she came to, she was no longer chained to the wall, but now was tied to what felt like a dentist’s chair. Her whole body was sore, and she could distinctly feel the welts from her torture. Her clothes had been haphazardly thrown over her body, but it did little to dispel the feeling of exposure she was dealing with. Luther was standing over her, talking to a slight woman sitting beside her.

          “Listen Doc, you made Khafji disappear, and I think that’s what someone did to her. She claims to have no knowledge of it, but my employers know she does, and I need those answers. If you can’t do it, then you can kiss your son goodbye. I’m gonna give you a minute to think about that, and then we’ll get started.” Braxton stalked out of the room, leaving Liz and the stranger alone. Liz could sense the woman’s fear, but didn’t know what she could do to help. She decided to fish for some information.

          “Who are you?”

The woman glanced at her, before resuming her studies of the medical equipment next to Liz. “My name is Dr. Selma Orchard, I’m a clinical psychologist. I treated Luther years ago, and now he wants me to treat you. I helped him block memories, and he wants me to unblock yours, or my son dies.”

          Liz felt even worse. Now innocent lives were being threatened because of her. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this Dr. Orchard.”

          “I’m sorry as well Miss?”

          “Keen.”

          “Miss Keen” she continued, “this isn’t going to be a very pleasant experience for you, as I’m going to have to force you to remember some kind of traumatic event. It’s called recovered memory therapy. I’m going to use a combination of hypnotherapy and pharmaceuticals to put you into a lucid, waking dream state. My field is in blocking trauma. Extracting it, there are probable risks. I’m going to give you a sedative. The mind turns things off for a reason. I found that what the mind fights, the body tries to fight, too. I need you relaxed. This is for your own safety. He told me I need to take you back to a fire 26 years ago.”

          Liz’s breath hitches as she knows where this is headed. “Please, don’t do this; I don’t want to go back.” She slowly fell asleep, despite all her efforts to keep awake.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the semi short chapter. I've struggled to find time to sit down and carve out this chapter. Enjoy, and please comment any feedback! Thank you!  
> I don't own anything from The Blacklist. This is Jon Bokenkamp's sandbox, I'm just playing in it. All rights go to him, NBC, and Sony.

Red and Baz rushed into the bottom floor of the abandoned convention center, Baz’s team quickly fanning out as they made a rush for the stairs. Fitch had described the location in great detail. Red knew it would be a monumental task, trying to remain stealthy while quickly locating Lizzie. Red felt his blood freeze in his veins as he heard Lizzie’s voice screaming out “Where is she!” Red and Baz broke into a flat out run, taking the steps to the top floor as quick as humanly possible, quickly followed by most of their team. They rushed into the room, and Red’s blood boiled. Elizabeth was strapped to a medical chair, surrounded by equipment. Braxton had turned around with his gun tracking towards the intruders, but Baz had swiftly put a round through his forehead. The woman that had been administering whatever vile things they were pumping into Elizabeth screamed and immediately raised her hands. Baz motioned her away, but the woman hesitated.

“She’s still under the trance. Let me wake her.”

Red gestured with his gun. “You get her out safe.”

The woman quickly began to manipulate the machinery next to Liz. She began to settle, before her eyes snapped open. She starts as she sees Red, the doctor, and Baz’s crew all around the room. Her eyes settle on Red.

“You were there that night. The night of the fire.”

Red felt the pain of the old memories. “Yes. I was there.” He turned to Baz, “please escort the good doctor out. Harold has her son safe in custody at the original location Fitch had provided. Dr., I’ll be speaking with you shortly.” He turned back to Liz as he began to remove her restraints. Baz stopped him, and handed over an overcoat so Liz could cover herself before he exited the room. “Years ago, I was working with your parents to stop the group that kidnapped you. They discovered what we were up to and tried to put us down. They started the fire when they couldn’t find the Fulcrum. What they didn’t know was that your Father had already taken you from your Mother. Your parents were fighting, and somehow, a gun landed near you. Not knowing what was going on, you shot the man attacking your mother. We tried to get to you, but part of the roof collapsed on top of me. Your mother was able to get you to safety, and I was able to crawl from the wreckage. I was able to follow Katarina to Cape May, where they found her things folded on the beach. I buried your father’s remains, and made sure you were safe with Sam. I stayed away, hoping they would think you had died in the fire, and the Fulcrum as well. It gave me a chance to secure my power base and continue my hunt for the Fulcrum unmolested, by claiming for the last 20 years that I already had found it.”

Liz looks at him with an unreadable expression on her face. “You were there. Why were you looking for me?” She is close to tears, the weight of all she had endured beginning to bear down on her. Red notices the pain in her eyes, and smooths her hair down. “I promise Lizzie, I will answer your questions soon, but first we need to get you looked at, and you need to recover. Let me get you to Mr. Kaplan.” He slowly helped her up, but her leg collapsed from under her. Red caught her, and swept her into his arms, before carrying her from that awful room. He stopped as Baz fell into step next to him. “Contact Julian, tell him I want this entire building destroyed. I don’t even want to be able to guess what it used to be. Have one of your teams secure Braxton’s body; I have something in mind for it.” Baz nodded and they resumed their descent, Red’s security team falling in around them.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

          Liz gasped as her foot gave way. She knew that it was a combination of fatigue, and the pain from her torture. Red quickly caught her and picked her up, mindful of her injuries and her still slightly exposed frame. Her entire body felt like it was on fire from the whipping, and she could tell he was doing his best to not jostle her too badly. Her brain was in a fog; she was drained mentally and physically, and she was only vaguely aware of Red and his team as they exited the building she knew she would have nightmares about for weeks. As Red lifted her into one of the vehicles, she felt him try to lay her down on the seat, but she wrapped her arms around him, refusing to leave his arms. She felt _safe_ in his arms, and while that slightly scared her, she wasn’t willing to lose that feeling of security. He laid her across his lap as Baz sped off. She could feel the exhaustion creeping in, and rested her head on his shoulder, as she gave into the peaceful oblivion.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Red worked hard to calm his fury. Those men had tortured his Lizzie. Normally, his response to such an event was a swift and brutal reprisal that left few standing in his wake. But right now was not the time. He needed to get Lizzie to Kaplan. The woman had already been alerted, and had his Emergency Medical Team waiting to receive them at a warehouse. He decided to not take chances. He quickly dialed Kaplan.

“Kate, how secure are you?”

“As secure as we can be dearie. I’ve got two teams stationed around the warehouse and another inside. It’s the best we can do after the raid this morning.”

Red frowned. “Tell the teams to prepare for help from the FBI. I’m not going to take any risks this time around.” He quickly ended the call before dialing Cooper. “Harold, I’ve got Elizabeth, but I need your help again. The Cabal may stop at nothing to get her again, and a united defense between my organization and your Task Force may be enough to stall them in order to buy me time to neutralize them.”

Cooper sighed. “Reddington, you need to tell us what’s going on. Who is this new enemy?”

I will explain everything Harold,” Red ground out, “But only after we have secured Elizabeth.” He told him the location, and looked at the woman in his lap. He could barely look at the welts all over her arms and legs, his blood starting to boil all over again. He focused on her face, which was mercifully free of pain while she was unconscious. They rolled into the warehouse a few minutes later, and he reluctantly turned her over to the capable hands of Kate’s medical team.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red deals with his emotions upon rescuing Liz, and begins to lay groundwork for dismantling the threat to her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own anything from The Blacklist. This is Jon Bokenkamp's sandbox, I'm just playing in it. All rights go to him, NBC, and Sony.

Red paced back and forth in front of the medical tent containing the team working on Liz. They had started by cleaning and dressing the welts all over her body, but were waiting to set her broken wrist. They had done an MRI and determined that she had a mild concussion from when her head had hit the mirror, but there appeared to be no other brain damage or skull fracturing. He walked towards the other tent, currently housing a recovering Ezra. He slipped inside after seeing Ezra was awake. Ezra tensed and attempted to rise, but Red put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry Red. I wasn’t able to stop them. I tried. Braxton was too quick. I guess he thought I was out too, because his guys didn’t even bother to move my gun out of reach. I was coming back to the room because I forgot my bag, and they came out the hallway right as I got to the door.”

“Its fine Ezra, Elizabeth is safe with me. You just rest and recover. You’ll get your shot at Sokolov. He hired Braxton to extract her. Braxton is dead, and I know exactly what to do with his corpse.” Ezra nodded and sank back into his bed, seemingly at peace. Red walked out and resumed his vigil outside Elizabeth’s tent. Dembe joined him after several moments.

“You need to stop blaming yourself, Raymond.”

Red couldn’t even tear his gaze away from the sleeping angel in the tent. “How the hell can I not blame myself Dembe? I should have known about Sokolov and Braxton days ago. I got lax, and it cost 25 good men their lives, and put Lizzie through hell. Look at her; covered from head to toe in bruises and welts. She has a concussion and a broken wrist. If I’d have protected her more, none of this would’ve happened. So tell me why I shouldn’t blame myself. You can’t, so don’t even try. All I can do is put those responsible down like the mad dogs that they are. Now that I have the Fulcrum, I can do just that.” Red let a breath out, and felt some tension leave his shoulders. “I’m sorry Dembe, I just needed to vent. Have Baz reach out to the men’s families. Let them know that they will be taken care of. Then reach out to Borakove, and have him start tracing any of the tech that Braxton’s men had on them. Maybe something can help point us to Sokolov.”

As he finished giving instructions to Dembe, Kate stepped out of the tent, heading towards Red’s side.

“She should make a full recovery dearie, they’re just waiting to set the break until they are sure the morphine has kicked in so it doesn’t jar her awake.” She gripped his hand briefly before walking back into the tent.

There was a knock on the door and Baz checked his earpiece.

“FBI’s here.” The garage door opened and three vans pulled in and began to disgorge almost 30 SRT members, as well as the Post Office Team. Ressler and Samar began to integrate their men with Red’s while Cooper slowly made his way to Red’s position outside the tent.

“How is she?” Cooper asked, looking at his agent currently surrounded by a full medical team.

“She’ll recover. Most of her body was covered by welts and cuts. It appears someone used her as a whipping post, and she sustained a broken wrist when they took her.”

Cooper looked at him with a hard expression on his face. “Who is this ‘they’? Is it connected to Berlin?”

Red shook his head. “We need to take care of Berlin, and then deal with the Cabal. You need to stay here and protect Elizabeth. Mr. Kaplan is in charge while I’m gone. We have been working to dismantle the Cabal for quite a few years, so what she says goes. Baz and myself will be dealing with Berlin permanently in about,” he glanced at his watch, “thirty minutes. I’ve managed to locate his daughter that he believes I killed. She wants nothing to do with him, and is leading him into a trap in exchange for me helping her disappear again.”

He put his fedora back on and turned to leave.

“Good luck Harold, be a good man and follow orders, and I’ll explain everything shortly.” Pausing to take one last glance at Elizabeth, he swept from the room with Baz and ten of his own mercenaries. As he got in the car, Leonard called him.

“Raymond, Sokolov wasn’t just after Agent Keen; he had two targets. That’s why he hired Braxton to take Keen. His target was harder to get. They abducted Fitch about an hour ago. He had already arranged for me to reach out to you if he was taken. In the event of his capture, I’m to turn over my knowledge about the workings of the Fulcrum to you. I’ll meet you at your flat in Bethesda.” Red’s next call was to Cooper. Red was immediately alarmed by the sirens he could hear over the line.

“Harold, what the hell are those sirens for?”

“Red, we just received word that Alan Fitch was abducted. An anonymous tip came in that he was wired with a bomb vest about ten blocks from our location. I have orders to get there and secure the area for the Bomb Squad. I left Navabi and several of our security team there to assist in securing the warehouse.”

Red exhaled, “Who gave you the orders, Harold?”

“Tom Connolly.”

“Your friend Connolly is not your friend, Harold. He recently earned a seat at the Cabal’s table. He works for them now. Every move he makes concerning the Task Force, and specifically Elizabeth, plays directly into their hands. You need to get back there immediately. The only reason they would send you after Fitch is to clear out the security around the warehouse in order to go after Elizabeth.”

He sighed as he walked into the restaurant where Zoe had met Berlin. He had her papers ready, and made sure two of Baz’s men escorted her safely to her plane. He glared at Berlin, the man returning his furious gaze.

“Because of your misinformation, someone I swore to protect was just beaten and tortured within an inch of her life. Now more are coming for her, and I can’t be there because I have to deal with you. I know you want Alan Fitch, and were trying to capture him. But he is mine to deal with, so now you get to deal with me.” With that he pulled out his Browning Hi-Power and emptied the gun into Berlin’s chest. He walked out the door and hurried to the car, Baz already having the car running.

“Get back to my flat. The Director’s making a play for Elizabeth. We need to assemble the Fulcrum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW! That was way too long of a break between updates. I hit a very severe case of writer's block with all of my stories, but this one especially! But I've been rewatching Season 1, and seem to have gotten past that bad experience! Speaking of bad experiences, what a season finale!! Totally made up for S4 finale!The end of DG? Imposter theory FTW!! Hopefully Liz wakes up and realizes how poorly she's treated one of the only men in her life that truly cares about her. He risked his secret getting exposed to make sure she was okay after the crash; if that's not love, I don't know what it was!  
> Anyway... thanks for being patient and sticking around! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please leave a comment, I love reading them and hearing your feedback. It helps me find the passion to keep writing! As always, Keep Calm and Believe in Lizzington!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Cabal shows their hand. Red works to protect Liz, while she struggles with her emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took some of the dialogue from "Leonard Caul" and "Anslo Garrick: Conclusion" and used them in this chapter, all rights go to NBC, Sony, and Jon Bokenkamp.

Liz felt herself slowly waking up, like she was coming out of a deep fog. She was slightly aware of the presence standing watch over her. She smiled at the silent protector.

“Welcome back, Elizabeth. Raymond will be pleased to see you awake.”

Liz glanced around the tent. “Where are we, Dembe?”

Dembe looked around the room. “At a warehouse in Ivy City; this is one of several sites Kate has available for mobile hospitals for Raymond.”

Liz started as the aforementioned woman strode through the flaps at the entrance.

“Elizabeth, it’s good to see you awake. Dembe, we need to prepare for incoming hostiles. The Task Force was sent after Fitch’s abductors. Raymond believes that was a ploy to draw security away from here. He’s trying to make a play to stop the Director, but they may not get there in time. Cooper is trying to get back here, but we don’t know when.”

Samar brushed through into the tent. “Liz, thank goodness you’re awake. But we have an issue. Two vans just pulled in around the next building, and another two parked a block from the rear. They’re here.”

Dembe had quickly rushed from the building, shouting for the men to take cover, and protect the tent at all costs. Kate and Samar both took up positions near the tent doors.

Liz looked at them as they both readied their weapons, Kate pulling a Smith & Wesson Model 586 from her bag _“what else does she have in there?!”_

“What are you two doing?”

Kaplan looked at her as one might a petulant child. “I once told you I have two directives: finding my employer and protecting you. This is me helping to protect you.”

Liz felt her heartrate pick up, and began to have trouble breathing.

“No. You can’t. You can’t all risk your lives for me.” She felt herself start to shake, and dizziness began to set in as she heard gunfire erupt around the building. Kate noticed Liz’s actions and quickly pulled a phone from her jacket and dialed.

“Raymond, they’re here, but she needs you. She’s showing early signs of a panic attack.” She handed the phone to Liz. “It’s Red, dearie. We’ll keep you safe.” She gave Liz’s shoulder a small squeeze before returning to her former station.

“Lizzie, listen to me,” Liz felt warmth spreading through her body as the soothing timbre of his voice came through the speaker. “Baz’s men are the best there are. I put in a call for some help from some old friends, they should be there shortly. I’m hurrying back to the warehouse as quickly as I can. I’m trying to convince the Director that it is in his best interest to back away. Now just breathe with me.” Liz followed the sound of his breathing, and slowly felt the panic subsiding. “Now Lizzie, I have to make a phone call, but I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

He hung up, and Liz was once again drawn into the sound of the gunfight raging around the building. Suddenly, Dembe burst into the room the tent was in, locking the door and sliding down the wall. Samar stepped out from her hiding spot and approached him. He shook his head at the unasked question and made a circular motion with his hand. Liz felt as if someone had yanked her stomach out from under her. They were surrounded. Suddenly more gunfire sounded from around the building, along with shouts in a foreign language, Liz lurched back into her bed as the door was blown off its hinges and several heavily armed men came barreling through, firing all around them. Samar went down as a bullet grazed her shoulder, while Dembe was tackled by three of the men. Kate began to fire, before she too was wounded and brought down. Liz began to hyperventilate as three of the intruders burst into the tent. They all pointed their weapons at her, as one approached with yet another syringe. He was just about to stick her when one of the intruders came up with a phone to his ear. The man holding the syringe stiffened at whatever was whispered before slowly retreating from the room. They had just stepped outside when they were suddenly riddled with bullets. Suddenly four men stepped through the door. Liz froze as she recognized them: the Pavlovich brothers.

The leader grinned at her. “We should stop meeting like this.”

Liz could barely think through the fog from the drugs and her nausea. “You were killed by the FBI. How are you alive?”

He grinned. “Reddington felt we were useful. He found us doubles, and we made sure they stayed where we wanted them. Now we’re even. We’re to wait here with you until the FBI arrives; who knows how he’s managed to pull that one off, then we’re gone.” There was rustling, and one of the brothers shouted something to him. “It looks like we got Sokolov. He killed one of our brothers years ago, now we get to turn him over to Reddington. Seems like vengeance to me. Our brother died quickly, I don’t think the same can be said for him.” He nodded to her, as a crashing sound came from the door. Red and Baz came bursting in with Baz’s team. Baz and his men quickly went about the work of helping Dembe stabilize Samar and Kate, while Red glared at Sokolov, before rushing into the tent. He quickly clasped her, and Liz almost melted into his embrace. She was perfectly content to stay in his arms, finally feeling safe, even amidst the carnage around her. She was vaguely aware of sirens approaching.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Red breathed a sigh of relief as he entered the tent Liz was recuperating in. “Lizzie, you’re safe.” Red turned to look at the brothers, who were standing in the doorway.

“Thank you for your services gentleman, expect a nice bonus in your accounts come tomorrow morning. Double your usual price.” The brothers grinned before leaving, two of Baz’s men escorting them out. There were shouts of “FBI” as Cooper and his team began pouring into the warehouse, securing it while clearing a path for the paramedics making their way to Kate and Samar. Cooper came up to the tent, finding Liz still shielded by Red’s arm around her shoulders.

He looked at Red. “Agent Mojtabai has secured a wing at Sibley Medical for you and your medical team. I’ll be overseeing the security personally.” Red nodded his thanks before stepping back as several paramedics began to prepare Liz from transport. He followed her to the waiting ambulance, quite pleased to see the armored vehicles being used to transport two of the three most people in his life. He quickly checked to see that both Dembe and Samar were stabilized enough for transit, and Dembe quickly took up a vigil in Kate’s transport, while Ressler did the same for Navabi. The transports were quickly surrounded by several Humvees containing the FBI SWAT teams from the Post Office, while Baz’s men leapt onto the running boards of the transports, with Baz taking the front passenger seat of Liz’s vehicle.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz was still alert, but was kept in her gurney so as not to jostle her. It was just herself and Red in the back of the transport, and the windows were tinted, so she felt free to take Red’s hand.

“Red,” she began hesitantly, “once you find the Fulcrum, will I ever see you again? The man torturing me said that you thought I was the key to finding it. Is that all I’ve ever been to you?” She felt guilty for asking, but it was gnawing at her. “Is that why you hired Tom? Was this all just so you could get this ‘Fulcrum’?”

Red took a breath before answering. “When I hired Tom Keen, it was at a time of profound transition in your life. You’d already left behind the relative safety and innocence of youth. Sam’s care as a father had served you well, but you’d outgrown him. A-and I knew that eventually my life would jeopardize yours. So, in an admittedly presumptuous and ultimately futile effort to keep you safe, I hired Tom simply to be there as a friend of a friend to look after you from an arm’s length. When I learned that your relationship had become intimate, I fired him. I should’ve removed him, but you were already in love with him. And Tom, he shifted his allegiance to Berlin in part to protect himself from me, but also because it allowed for an inextricable intimacy and commitment to you. And so you were married. And I couldn’t stay away any longer. A confluence of peril had entered your life, and I wanted to be within reach, to have influence. I turned myself in to the FBI to point you toward a truth that inevitably you would have to discover for yourself.”

He gave her a small smile before continuing. “As for the Fulcrum, I already have it."

He produced the bubble key he got from Liz’s rabbit, and placed it in her hands, closing them around it. “I found it after the attack at the hotel; purely by accident. I saw the rabbit in a box of your things, and saw it was burnt. I was just looking at it, and felt it in the stuffing at its neck. Now I’m giving it to you, to show you that that was never the only thing I was after.”

Liz felt a small tear escape from her eye, making its way down her cheek. Red slowly brushed it away, putting a comforting hand on her head.

“I once told you Lizzie, that wherever I am, whatever I’m doing, if you are in need, I will be there when you need me. That’s never going to change.” Liz pulled him close and embraced him, once again loving the safety she felt when she was near him.

“Thank you Raymond.” She whispered. Whatever came next they would face, together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo! The creative juices are flowing freely, and allowed me to bust out another chapter. I really like how it came together. I am trying to at least attempt to follow the timeline from the show, but as Tom is dead, the whole incident with the Harbor Master never happens, and Liz already knew Red had hired Tom.  
> So, I know that the Pavlovich Brothers are dead in canon, but Iabsolutely LOVED them in Season 1, and wanted to bring them back. So I did. Hope my explanation for their survival makes sense. As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please leave a comment, I love reading them and hearing your feedback. It helps me find the passion to keep writing! As always, Keep Calm and Believe in Lizzington!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liz tries to protect Red, but only places herself in danger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took some of the dialogue from "Tom Connolly" and used it in this chapter. As usual; all rights go to NBC, Sony, and Jon Bokenkamp.

Red sat patiently and watched as Liz paced back and forth in the room. She had been out of the hospital bed for nearly a week, but Red and Cooper weren’t letting her leave until Red said his safe house for her was clear. Samar was recovering well, already up and moving two days after arriving, having only taken a shot to the shoulder, and missing any vital tissues. Kate was recovering decidedly slower, having taken a shot that grazed her temple. She wanted to get up and move as well, but Red had told her in no uncertain terms that she would stay put until the doctors told her she could move. She was just too important. She had finally been cleared to move yesterday.

The unexpected had been Harold. He had been arguing over the phone with Connelly, who wanted to see where Keen was. He had been shouting, and suddenly collapsed. Red’s doctor had personally seen to him, and came back with shocking results. The tumor Harold had been diagnosed with was false. When he had heard that, Red had immediately had tests run on the pill in Harold’s pocket, which turned out to be what was making him feel sick. Red called Borakove, and he quickly broke down the trail leading to the drug test he was on. All of it forged. Baz had arranged for Cooper’s usual doctor to have a chat with Red, who informed him he was just following directions. The pills had been given to him by a Russian named Leo Andropov. Cooper was livid, and learned that there had been a bombing at the CIA’s OREA facility, which they were trying to pin on Liz, revealing her true identity as Masha Rostova, secret daughter of notorious KGB agent Katarina Rostova.

Red knew it was time to play his trump card, so he cleared a conference room in the hospital, and called for the team, as well as Leonard and Kate. Baz and his men had been busy over the past week, securing eleven of the best investigative journalists to sit in on the meeting, as he would be releasing the Fulcrum. Kate had already secured the room from any electronic surveillance that the Cabal could bring to bear, and the Task Force security teams were working overtime with Baz’s men to secure the building. He would risk no threat to Liz. Finally, all the journalists were present, and joined Ressler, Samar, and Aram. Cooper and Liz had said they had something else to discuss. As he had filled them in on the Fulcrum earlier, as well as told Liz the truth about her mother, he let them. Leonard began to play the Fulcrum. Red took a breath before launching into his tale.

“My name is Raymond Reddington. The United States government has placed me atop the country’s list of most-wanted fugitives for a colorful and not uninteresting assortment of crimes, most of which I have committed. That’s who I am. You, in turn, are by my estimation eleven of the best investigative journalists in the world. I’m here to tell you a story. I’m sure you recognize many of the faces behind me. They are among the most powerful men and women on the planet. They are also part of a global conspiracy, a shadow organization that spans across every continent and has for the last three decades, consisting of leaders in world government and the private sector. Some call this group ‘The Cabal.’ The world you live in is the world they want you to think you live in. They start wars, create chaos. And when it suits them, they resolve it. Cabal members will move more money in the next quarter than the World Bank will in the next year. Their alliance effects sea change in every aspect of human life – the value and distribution of commodities, money, weapons, water, fuel, the food we eat to live, the information we rely on to tell us who we are.”

One of the journalists piped up. “What exactly do you expect us to do with this information?”

Red grinned. “Study it, investigate it to determine the truth, and then report it. Let me be clear. Investigating this group will immediately position you as a threat. If you do what I’m asking, you’ll be putting your lives and the lives of those you love at grave risk. In the end, ‘The truth will out.’ Not all of us will live to see that day, but the truth will out.”

Kate quickly passed out copies of the Fulcrum to the reporters, before Baz ushered them out. Ezra came into the room, recovered, but still moving slower than he wished.

“Boss, we have a problem.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz hurried after Cooper. Neither of them felt like sitting in the meeting and seeing the sickening tale Red was about to reveal to the world for a second time.

“Director Cooper, I need to talk to you.” She grabbed his arm to stop him from entering the room he was using as his office.

“What is it, Agent Keen?”

“You heard what Reddington said, they’ll frame me for OREA and use this Task Force’s connection to Reddington to shut us down, and they will kill him. But we have proof about Connolly. Dr. Levin gave you those recordings. We can use them to get Connolly to shut down the investigation. We can get our lives back.”

Cooper hesitated, “Keen, I don’t know about-”.

“Your friend betrayed you; made you think you were dying. These people just bombed a federal defense building and killed 14 agents. Are we going to let them get away with it?”

Cooper thought for a minute before sighing. “No. We can’t. Tom is giving a speech tonight, I know the place. We can be there in less than 30 minutes.”

The two of them quickly made their way to one of the SUV’s waiting in the underground parking structure, ducking Ezra, who was actively looking for Liz.

He caught them as they left the garage, Liz shooting him an apologetic look as they zoomed past him.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Red was apoplectic, Ezra had told him about Keen having left the building with Cooper, and Red knew where they were headed; straight to Connolly. He had tried to make clear the danger they were in, but Liz just couldn’t accept that she couldn’t protect everyone herself. She still didn’t understand that Red had spent literal decades trying to undermine the Cabal. He had to hurry to stop them. He had already tried calling both of their cell phones, but they went straight to voicemail. Dembe was breaking every possible traffic law trying to get to the banquet site before them, otherwise Liz would be gone, a pawn for the Cabal. His phone rang.

“Ezra, tell me you have something?”

“What we’ve got is a major problem. Connolly’s dead.”

Red was floored. “He’s dead?”

“Ya, Keen shot him. Now she’s in the wind. Director Cooper is being held as a witness and possible accomplice, but the details are still coming in. Agent Ressler left about five minutes ago, he got a call from someone about it. The whole FBI team’s gone. Kate has some of Baz’s crew cleaning the place now, the rest are vectoring towards her last known location to try to get her to you before the FBI.”

“Well done Ezra, I’ll need to travel. Alert the Troll Farmer, and then wait for my signal at the Old Place.” He disconnected and sighed. Dembe was glancing at him in the mirror.

“She shot Connolly. We’ll have to disappear for a while. Call Lyle, tell him we’ll need to use his bolt hole for a few days.” His phone rang.

“Lizzie.”

He could hear her breathing. “I need your help.”

“I know. Where are you?”

“I’m on, uh, 7th and L, Northeast.”

His mind immediately began planning routes. “I’m gonna call you back in two minutes with an address. I need you to get there. I’m gonna get you out.” He hung up and relayed the location to Dembe.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz was in a daze as she sat on the bench, praying that no one recognized her. All she could remember was Connolly’s smug look as he described what would happen to all of them Ressler kicked out, Samar shipped to Iran, where she could be killed, Cooper and Charlene arrested, and worse of all, Red would be charged with treason and executed The next thing she knew she had pulled her sidearm and had shot him dead. Cooper had begged her to run.

But something had come unlocked when she pulled the trigger. She remembered shooting her father. She had tried to reach out to Ressler, but he had only told her that if she didn’t come in, she would be hunted down by him. She was only vaguely aware of Red’s car pulling up and dropping him off in front of her.

She looked up as he sat next to her.

“I remember everything.”

He glanced at her. “Remember what?”

“The night of the fire. I know what happened, and I understand why you didn’t want me to find out. When I pulled the trigger- when I shot Connolly; it came back to me. It was like I was there and could hear them arguing. He was hurting her. I shot him. That’s why you blocked my memory- not to protect yourself. To protect me. That’s why I shot Connolly. He threatened to have you killed. I can’t go on anymore without you, and that scares me. You’re my sin-eater.”

Red gulped. “Tried to be. But I failed. I never wanted you to be-” He can’t finish his sentence.

“What?” Liz is desperate to know.

“Like me.” He grinds out.

She felt his hand slowly move up her leg to clasp her hand. He pulls her up as a van drives up.

“This is us.”

They get in, and the van drives off, leading them Liz knows not where. But she knows that they will do whatever they have to do to protect one another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a fun chapter. I'm trying to stay somewhat close to the story, so I'm still working out how to get Karakurt without having HIM around. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I know I had fun writing it! As always, I appreciate your comments and feedback! They do help me find the inspiration to write more! As always, Keep Calm and Believe in Lizzington!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liz begins to act on her feelings for Red while trying to escape Washington DC.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took some of the dialogue from "The Troll Farmer" and used it in this chapter. As usual; all rights go to NBC, Sony, and Jon Bokenkamp.

Liz looked up in alarm as the police band gave out the description of their van.

Red tried to calm her. “We’ll be fine.”

She knew better than that though. “They’ll set a perimeter.”

“Yes.”

“Capitol Police, Park Police, MCPD. We’ll never make it out of the city.”

“No. That’s why we’re not gonna even try.” Red handed her a package. “You’ll need to put this on.”

Liz looked around, not wanting to change in front the driver, who she’d never seen before. She could live with changing in front of Red, curious what outfits he had got for them. She almost laughed as she saw what was in the package. Of course it would be cop uniforms. Complete with real glocks. Red seemed to have anticipated the problem, as suddenly a privacy screen was between her and the driver. Liz shot him a grateful look before immediately starting to change. She stole several glances at him, as he too began to switch clothes. She felt her face warm as he smirked, having caught her looking at his thigh. Suddenly she realized they were in a tunnel, speeding towards a truck carrying cars. Just as suddenly, right before they crashed, they ran up ONTO the truck’s car rack, shielding them from any over watch. She grinned as the truck carried them right past the police cruisers waiting to block their escape.

They quickly ditched the van, getting into a police car Red’s men had ready for them. Soon they were arriving at a warehouse where they ditched the car and walked several back alleys before Red knocked on the door to a bar. A thin man answered and greeted them. Suddenly Red drew his gun as a woman came out of the back room.

“Who’s this?” Red asked menacingly.

The man, Lyle, Liz realized, tried to placate Red. “My sister Tiffany.”

Red frowned. “Tiffany lives in Denver.”

The woman spoke for the first time. “I did until last month,”

Lyle tried again to calm Red. “Her husband passed. She needed to get out. Red, you know me.”

Liz marveled at his ability to change demeanors so quickly as he lowered the gun and took Tiffany’s hand in his,

“I’m sorry for your loss, Tiffany.”

Lyle shoed her back upstairs before opening a secret hatch in the storage room, revealing a small staircase. Liz descended into a tiny little bunker, which while being rather small, was still rather comfortable looking, as she would expect for one of Red’s bolt holes.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Red tried his best to calm her, regaling her with another of his tall tales; this one about some jewel thief he knew years ago in Cambodia. She knew he was trying to help, but it did little to calm her nerves. Seeing the Director refuting the Fulcrum, which Red had released to the full press, had only made her realize that she was already branded a terrorist in the minds of the public. Red had finally got her to sit on the bed with him, letting her rest her head on his shoulder once more, and she slowly felt some of the stress leaving her muscles as she listened to his story. His ability to calm her and make her feel safe terrified her to an extent, but she also knew that everything he did, even if it seemed to hurt her, was all to protect her in the long run.

She was just starting to drift off to sleep when they both heard muffled voices above them. Lyle and Tiffany were arguing. Liz got her weapon and joined Red upstairs in time to hear Tiffany say something about her. Red had a glint in his eye as he forced Lyle back into the bunker with them. Red forced him to open the vent grate near the bed before knocking him out with the butt of his gun. They quickly hopped in and began to traverse the duct tunnel as Liz heard Ressler’s shout of warning, before the FBI dropped flashbangs into the bunker. Red could tell she was tense once more, and quietly reassured her that they would be able to escape the tunnel undetected. Liz took a deep breath and followed him back out into the streets.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz breathed as she finished applying the hair dye. Luckily the owner of the apartment liked having blonde hair, so she had helped herself to some of his dye. She turned to speak to Red, who had been watching the news coverage of the search.

“You said the plan was to wait, that it was impossible to cross the perimeter.”

She began to walk out to the living room as he said something about the Troll Farmer. “I don’t know who that is.”

Red turned towards her. “The Troll Fa-.” He stopped speaking.

She suddenly felt self-conscious. “What do you think?” she asked shyly. She looked up in time to see his stunned reaction, as well as a little chuckle deep in his throat. His look was anything but disapproving, and he just stared at her for several seconds. Liz warmed at his reaction.

Red finally managed to continue. “The Troll Farmer uses social media to conduct highly coordinated disinformation campaigns on behalf of governments, lobbyists, corporations, crime syndicates, and on occasion, a humble fugitive. He’s mastered the art of information warfare by creating events, virtual hoaxes designed to piggyback on real public anxiety. He activates hundreds of fake accounts to post thousands of tweets, creating the appearance of, say, a terrorist attack in Paris that served as cover for an art heist. He doctors screenshots from news outlets to report an Ebola outbreak in Atlanta in order to drive up the stock of a drug company developing a cure. The Troll Farmer is much more than a rumor monger. The events he creates appear to be real and provoke a very real response. Smoke manufactured to draw the cameras away from the real fire.”

Liz had a thought that was slightly disturbing. “She was blonde. My mother. That picture in your apartment– she was blonde. I look like her, don’t I?”

Red grimaced before giving a slight nod. Liz missed what he said as she tried to figure out the implications of that admittance. Suddenly the door to the apartment opened and a middle aged woman entered, missing Red and Liz as she set a clothes bag on the arm of the couch. Liz marveled at his ability to placate nervous people with his disarming charm, and they left the apartment after taking the woman’s cell phone and locking her in the bathroom.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz stopped as they began to enter the vans that would lead them from The Troll Farmer’s hideout to the outskirts of the city. She was hesitant to split up, but knew Red had a point. If one of them made it, they could clear her. Suddenly a horrid thought entered her head. He wasn’t expecting them both to make it out. He had left directions to find a safe house where he had men waiting for them. He had once told her he would do whatever he thought was necessary to keep her safe. She knew that he would sacrifice himself if it meant keeping her out of the hands of the Cabal. All the times she’d thrown accusations and insults at him, and he never changed. That was true love. She broke away from her escort and ran to Red. She embraced him and sobbed as she kissed him.

She pulled back to catch a stunned look on his face before he got one of those little grins on his face that she loved seeing. “I love you Raymond.” His grin broke across his whole face, before he escorted her back to her van. He gave her a peck on the cheek before looking at her once more. “We’ll make it, sweetheart.” He closed the van door and returned to his own van. The driver helped her hide in the false cabinet, before they took off.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“We’ve got a problem.” The driver shouted.

Red sighed. “Give me your phone.” He watched as the Humvees began to reinforce the barricade they’d just past. No doubt they were doing this at all checkpoints. This was the downside of having worked so closely with Donald; he had a better understanding of how Red operated. Now the woman he loved could very well be caught because of it. He had once told her he understood a man who would burnt he entire world for someone he loved. Now he may just have to become that man.

“Lizzie, they know.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz ran as fast as she could. Red had tried to stop her, but there was one place she could go where the people would be as invested as clearing their name as she was: The Russian Embassy. Ressler and Samar had found her a street away from the Embassy, and had begun to chase her. She was finally able to climb the fence, and was immediately stopped by the Russian military guards. She saw Ressler glaring at her through the gate as she said words that she prayed wouldn’t damn her.

“Help! My name is Masha Rostova. I’m a Russian agent. I work for the FSB, and I’m seeking diplomatic immunity.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! They finally kissed!! One of my absolute favorite moments from Season 3 is the scene in the apartment when Red first sees Liz after she's dyed her hair. Now tell me that that would be how someone looks at their daughter... *insert eyeroll emoji* thats how someone looks at someone they love who they think is beautiful! This was a fun chapter to write.  
> *Fun side note that I mentioned in the FB Lizzington Fanfic Discussion Page: as I was writing the scene where LIz is trying to get to the Embassy, what would come on but "No Harm" the EXACT song that plays during the scene!


End file.
